


In Another Life

by csichick_2



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: AU - Prostitution, Alternate Universe - Prostitution, M/M, Prostitution
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-25
Updated: 2016-06-25
Packaged: 2018-07-16 04:08:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7251487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/csichick_2/pseuds/csichick_2
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tired of being spied on by SHIELD, Steve goes off the grid and ends up working for an escort agency.  And then he meets Sam.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In Another Life

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SilverDolphin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverDolphin/gifts).



Knowing that SHIELD was founded by Peggy and Howard is the reason that Steve accepted Fury’s offer of employment and moved down to Washington, DC. Ironically, it was also Peggy that led to Steve leaving his entire life behind. On one of her good days, she talks about her great-niece Sharon. She tells Steve that Sharon’s a SHIELD agent and when he says that he hadn’t met her, Peggy pulls out a picture. That is when his blood runs cold. It turns out that he does know Sharon Carter, though he’d been led to believe she was a nurse named Kate. He doubts that is the only surveillance that Fury has placed on him and he knows that he has to get far away from anything and everything SHIELD as soon as possible.

Like anyone that lived through the Great Depression, Steve is leery of banks, so he risks going back to his SHIELD issued apartment to grab the money he has stashed under his mattress. It’s enough to keep him going for a few months, especially since he plans to hide out in one of the less desirable parts of town while he decides what he’s going to do with his life. He thanks whatever foresight convinced him to purchases a duffle large enough to conceal his shield, as that means he doesn’t have to leave it behind. He fills the remainder of the bag with clothes and his sketchbooks before exiting his apartment through the window so as not to alert Sharon. He assumes that SHIELD also has surveillance inside his apartment but he’s counting on the fact that first, they’re not creepy enough to put cameras in his bedroom, and second, that they’re not monitoring him in real time. Even if they are, Sharon won’t be able to subdue him on her own, and he’ll be long gone before backup could arrive.

As much as he wants to take his bike so that he can sell it for some extra cash, Steve knows that SHIELD has had several opportunities to stick a tracker on it and he hasn’t the slightest idea what to look for. Instead, he walks to the nearest Metro station where he can disappear with the thousands of other people that utilize Washington, DC’s public transportation system. He detrains at a station far from where he wants to go on the off-chance that he was followed, and takes a series of buses to what most people would describe as the slums.

After paying in advance for a week at one of the ‘no questions asked’ motels, Steve sets about booby-trapping the room so that he doesn’t have to take everything with him every time he leaves. After making sure he has enough cash for his most important errands, Steve heads back to the Metro and goes to an electronics store several stops away. Once there he buys two burner phones. He uses the first to send Natasha a text message that states I’m fine, don’t look for me and then immediately disposes of it. The second one he keeps for emergencies. Even when off the grid, it’s still good to have a cell phone as working pay phones are nearly non-existent.

He knows that despite his text to Natasha, SHIELD will in fact look for him, so the next thing he needs to do is change his appearance. Even with ill-fitting clothes, he won’t be able to conceal his height, so he doesn’t even try. Instead, he stops into a drug store for reading glasses he doesn’t actually need and dark brown hair dye along with the basic necessities he’ll need on a daily basis. He adds razors and shaving cream to his basket, and then changes his mind and puts them back. Growing a beard will help him stay off of SHIELD’s radar even better than darker hair and glasses. He goes back to the hair dye aisle and grabs a box of stuff meant for facial hair – if his beard is several shades lighter than his hair people will be more likely to pay attention to him instead of less. For the first time ever, he’s glad that he grows facial hair quickly as he’ll have to limit his time in public until his beard comes in enough to dye.

After a quick check to make sure his booby-traps are intact, he goes to the motel room’s tiny bathroom to dye his hair. Afterwards he looks different enough to fool a casual observer, but he’ll still be looking over his shoulder every time he goes anywhere.

After a night in which Steve spends more time staring at the ceiling than sleeping, he decides that his facial hair is still more stubble than beard and that he can attempt to find a slightly less seedy place to live without drawing too much attention. After putting on his glasses, he heads outside, deciding to stay on foot. Fortunately, no one pays him much attention and it doesn’t take him long to find a decent looking apartment building advertising vacancies.

The building manager takes him in a little skeptically at first, Steve hopes because the man isn’t used to potential tenants looking so clean-cut and not out of any sort of recognition, but becomes far more accommodating when Steve reveals his intentions to pay in cash. The apartment he’s shown is almost as big as the one SHIELD had provided him, but less than half the price because of its location.

“Look, I don’t care if you bring clients back to the apartment,” the man says, as he hands Steve the keys to the apartment in exchange for two months rent. “Just be discrete about it.”

“Um, right,” Steve says, slightly taken aback, but the man’s assumption does actually make sense. He is paying with cash and was vague on anything he was asked. And there are far worse things to be mistaken for than a prostitute, especially since it’s not technically untrue. When he and Bucky were desperate enough for money, they would resort to selling themselves down at the docks and he doesn’t see the shame in it.

After a quick trip back to the motel for his few belongs – and the rest of his money – Steve surveys his new apartment. It comes with appliances, but is otherwise unfurnished. After counting what is left of his cash – of which there is less than he’d hoped – he decides that he’ll have to make do with a bed as literally his only piece of furniture until money starts coming in. He finds a furniture store that will deliver and buys the cheapest bed they have that is also large enough to fit him. On his way back home, he stops off for a few dishes and cooking supplies and then as many groceries as he can carry without drawing attention to just how strong he is. It probably won’t be enough to last until his beard finishes growing in, but he’ll worry about that later. And rely on restaurants that deliver if it comes down to it.

As Steve cooks a pot of spaghetti, he ponders his employment options. Given his need to rely on cash, there aren’t that many and he smirks to himself when he realizes that his landlord won’t have been actually been wrong about his need to possibly bring clients back to his apartment. Now he just has to figure out how to go about finding said clients – a lot has changed since the last time he did this in 1942.

Even with his sketchbooks, it’s a boring few days until Steve’s beard has grown in enough to dye. After a quick trip to the grocery store, he makes a list of the most important things he needs to purchase. He deems a computer the most important – he’s far more tech saavy than he’s ever let on to SHIELD, and he knows it’s the easiest way to keep tabs on their hunt for him. He spends his afternoon comparison shopping so that he has an idea of how much he needs to make first.

When nightfall arrives, Steve heads into a bar for a drink or two before he starts his quest to figure out what being a prostitute in the twenty-first century entails. The serum may have stolen his ability to get drunk, but sometimes he still finds comfort in the burn of alcohol going down. He almost laughs when a woman that is most definitely a prostitute propositions him, but he manages to contain himself and not offend the woman.

“Even if I could afford you, you’re not exactly my type,” he says, and from her widened eyes she’s not used to being pegged that quickly. “I used to be where you are. Am about to be again, but it’s a little different in the big city,” he admits, bending the truth slightly since he can’t admit the last time he did this was seventy years ago.

The woman grins and then launches into all sorts of advice for Steve. She gives Steve the card of an escort agency she used to work for – stating that its good for starting out and that they don’t mind when people go solo after establishing a client base. He thanks her and says he’ll call them in the morning. After another drink, he heads home and sketches for a couple hours before going to bed. And if his drawings are more erotic than he’s done in a long time, well he does have sex on the mind.

His next day is spent being vetted by the escort agency which is slightly invasive. Steve appreciates that the agency cares about safety, requiring monthly STD testing for all employees. If he did catch anything, the serum would probably take care of it, but it’s not like he can actually tell anyone that.

For the first month, all of his clients are the mostly the same. Closeted men that want to meet up at a hotel, get off, and then get back home to their wives. And then he meets Sam.

As he’s a new client, the appointment is still at a hotel for Steve’s protection, but he can tell this appointment is going to be different from the second the other man walks into the room. For starters, Sam isn’t wearing a wedding band nor is there a tell-tale tan line of a removed ring, so the man isn’t married. He’s also incredibly nervous.

“First time?” Steve asks gently.

“Fuck is it that obvious?” Sam replies. “It’s just I haven’t been with anyone since before I shipped out and I get lonely and I’m not exactly boyfriend material right now… And you probably don’t care.”

“Where did you serve?” Steve asks, both because he’s genuinely interested and to help put Sam’s nerves at ease.

“Afghanistan. 58th Pararescue,” Sam replies, clearly surprised at being asked.

“I was in the Army once upon a time,” Steve says. “So I get being lonely and not being boyfriend material.”

“Did the VA fail you that badly? Or did you just not try because you assumed they would?” Sam asks. “Shit sorry, that was rude. I work for the VA now and it’s hard to turn off sometimes.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Steve responds. “My situation is complicated, not something the VA can help with.”

“Fair enough,” Sam replies. “So, um, do we just get naked and get to it then?” he asks, nerves starting to return.

“It’s up to you,” Steve says. “We can get right to it, we can order room service, or we can just raid the mini bar and loosen up a bit.”

“Loosening up a bit sounds good,” Sam responds gratefully. “I feel a bit like an idiot for being nervous about sex.”

“Don’t,” Steve says. “I’ve been at this again for a month and you’re the most interesting client I’ve had.”

Sam raises an eyebrow when Steve says again, but doesn’t raise the issue. “Thanks. I think.”

“Oh it’s definitely a compliment,” Steve confirms. “Everyone else has fucked me and gone straight back home to their wife.”

“Please tell me they got you off first?” Sam asks.

Steve chuckles. “My pleasure isn’t exactly a priority.”

“Well that’s just wrong,” Sam says, as he checks out the mini-bar – giving two of the small bottles to Steve and keeping two for himself. “Just because I’m paying out doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it to.”

“Oh I like you,” Steve says, “Don’t ever change.”

Sam smiles at Steve as he downs the two bottles from the mini bar and then leans in to kiss him. The way Sam pays attention to Steve’s needs as well as his own almost makes him forget that he’s being paid for this and it’s the most pleasurable sex he’s had since, well, Bucky.

“Is it okay if I specifically request you next time?” Sam asks before he leaves. “Is that even allowed.”

“Yes, it’s allowed,” Steve replies. “And I’d be flattered.” In a different life, Sam would probably be someone he would pursue a relationship with, but in this one, he’ll take whatever he can get.


End file.
